Influencing Water Policy: India

Tarun Bharat Sangh and The Jal Biradari

The experiences of Tarun Bharat Sangh and the Rashtriya Jal Biradari illustrate some of the processes necessary in influencing water policies, such as contributing to the drafting process, assessing community reactions to new policies and involving the community in presenting credible alternatives to inequitable policies.

In April 2002, a new National Water Policy was announced in India. As water is a state subject in India, each state is obliged to formulate its own water policy within two years of the National policy.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) became increasingly concerned by some of the provisions in the national water policy and the fact that some states appeared to be simply copying this policy without taking into account the uniqueness and the distinct agro-ecological zones of each state.

One of these NGOs, Tarun Bharat Sangh, which has for years been working on water conservation and the promotion and revival of traditional indigenous water harvesting systems in the state of Rajasthan, perceived a threat to its work from the National Water Policy. Representatives of Tarun Bharat Sangh had been involved in the drafting process of the national policy, but not all of their recommendations had been adopted, in particular those regarding the section on private sector participation in the planning, development and management of water resources.

Mindful of the need for a person-centred water policy that empowers communities and provides them with a sense of ownership over their water management systems, Tarun Bharat Sangh established Rashtriya Jal Biradari, a coalition of individuals and organisations concerned with water conservation.

Jal Biradari has begun a nationwide campaign to raise awareness on the issue of privatisation. It seeks to challenge the National Water Policy and to provide an alternative water policy as recommended by the people.

This ongoing campaign involves a consultative process in which the participation of the poorest members of society is encouraged. The Jal Biradari has organised Jan Sunwai (public hearings) and Jal Adhikar Yatra (Water Rights Marches) all over the country in order to empower communities to provide more people-centred alternatives to the current water policies, both at the national and state level.

This emphasis on inclusion illustrates the importance of what has been called ‘rooted’ or ‘person-centred’ advocacy – advocacy empowering the affected communities to play an active part in the realisation of their rights.